By Zephyria 
Young-pa chuckled, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. What was the point of asking questions when the man likely wouldn’t give a proper answer anyway? Nevertheless, it was an opportunity he didn’t want to let go. Considering himself devoid of pride, he parted his lips.
“Why are you searching for that ring?”
Biryoo’s expression darkened noticeably. Just as it had when he was asked his name, his gaze became distant, as if rummaging through far-off memories. Young-pa watched with deep interest, wondering if the white ring was a weakness for a man who seemed as perfect as a painting.
“It is a possession of someone I miss.”
“Ho, a woman, I presume?”
Biryoo fell silent, and Young-pa took this as an affirmative answer.
“So you aren’t a eunuch, then.”
Biryoo ignored that comment as well.
Soon, Lee Shim arrived, carrying bundles of cloth in both arms. It was enough to wrap around Young-pa’s entire body several times over. He fussed over Young-pa, wrapping his palm, though the wound had already begun to heal. Young-pa pushed Lee Shim away irritably and tossed the cloth aside.
Turning back, he gave Biryoo a playful, eye-smiling look.
“Biryoo, I have something secret to tell you about the ring, so come closer.”
Biryoo raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but Young-pa only gave a deep, knowing smile.
“It’s a story that others mustn’t hear. Hurry, hurry.”
As Young-pa clung to him insistently, Biryoo reluctantly stood up. As the distance between them closed, Young-pa let out a wicked giggle. He slowly brought his lips toward Biryoo’s ear. After blowing hot breaths a few times, he suddenly clamped his teeth down hard on the earlobe.
“What kind of lunatic is this!”
The bitten ear flushed red. Young-pa slapped the floor and roared with laughter. Just making that utterly indifferent gaze fill with bewilderment felt like a victory. Even after Biryoo glared at him and retreated into his room, the laughter showed no sign of stopping.
“Hahaha! Look at him throw a tantrum… How does it feel to be bitten by a savage, you brat!”
Watching the scene, Lee Shim spoke cautiously.
“You really are something, Brother.”
“Isn’t he quite cute when he’s angry?”
“From where I stand, it doesn’t seem like that fellow hates you that much, Brother.”
“Oho, why do you think so?”
“If he hated you enough to make his skin crawl, he wouldn’t have come to drink. By the looks of it, it’s only a matter of time before he falls into your grasp. In a few days, I think he’ll be spreading his legs and moaning.”
Young-pa, laughing to the point of tears, wiped the corners of his eyes with his fingertips.
“Once I sell that fellow off, what joy will I have left in life?”
Claiming he lacked excitement without Biryoo, Young-pa retreated into his room. The remaining food and liquor became Lee Shim’s prize.
≋ ≋ ≋
Bang!
A single bolt of sorcery missed the target and scattered across the wall. Those sitting around sighed in disappointment as if it were their own failure. The practitioner scratched the back of his head regretfully and stepped back.
“It worked fine when I did it at home, but I got nervous… I suppose I still lack practice.”
“Good effort. I shall try this time.”
The next person to step forward took a deep breath and gathered spiritual energy in his hand. With a shout, he thrust his fist forward, and the clay ball on the table split into four pieces. The man received a round of applause.
“With that level of skill, admission to the clan is practically guaranteed, and you’ll likely receive seven sheaves of rice. Congratulations.”
“Just do the same tomorrow.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much.”
The young man was nineteen, and his name was Geum Dong. Hailing from amak, he had been called a prodigy since childhood due to his innate strange talents. He had devoted everything to training from the age of five, but in the meantime, his family’s fortunes declined; he lost his father, and his mother fell ill. Having heard that one could receive a massive amount of rice upon proving their talent and entering pacheondang, he had set out on this long journey.
Sitting beside him was a man named Jeongso. At forty years old, he had come to nazgol to provide for his wife and children. A maiden named Dabi had set out to feed her trailing siblings, and there was also a boy named Bau, only thirteen, who had stepped forward for his impoverished parents.
“It seems all the heads of households and filial sons of the world have gathered here, Brother.”
“Indeed they have.”
The tavern at the foot of Mount Seowun sat on the path to nazgol. It housed over a dozen travelers in a large, single room; aside from one or two peddlers, all were there to take the pacheondang exam. Because people were practicing for the next day’s test, the atmosphere naturally became like a training ground.
“Master, aren’t you practicing?”
“I’m fine.”
“You seem quite confident.”
Geum Dong smiled and sat beside him. He wore a black band around his head. He mentioned that his mother had embroidered four divine beasts on the edges, wishing him a safe journey.
The reason only three were visible was that when Geum Dong had taken the band off, Young-pa had happened to see it and poured ink over the serpent. Geum Dong, discovering the stained band later, simply assumed it was someone’s mistake and let it go.
“Confident indeed! He is on a completely different level than scrubs like you. As for my Brother…”
When Young-pa glared at him, Lee Shim shut his mouth. But it was too late. Because Geum Dong had opened the floodgates, those curious about Young-pa began to approach and pester him.
“I wonder what talent this bride-like young master uses for the exam? If I were him, I’d just seduce a wealthy widow and live a cozy life.”
“Seeing as he has a child, his situation must be quite desperate.”
“Hya, such fair skin. The night is deep; how about spending it skin-to-skin with me?”
Young-pa, who had been listening silently, snorted.
“I cannot grant that request.”
He pointed to the child sleeping soundly and snoring beside him.
“First of all, this child is not mine. It is unpleasant to be misunderstood in such a way.”
Then, with a wave of his hand, he burst the ball on the table, pierced the target with a wind arrow, and shredded the straw man until it was unrecognizable. The practitioners all gasped in unison.
“I possess talents such as these.”
Young-pa looked up and down at the man who had harassed him last. The man had turned pale and was trembling violently.
“If you wish to press your skin against mine, you must first compete and win against my playthings and beauties. Looking at you, I doubt you’d stand a chance.”
The man immediately bolted out the door. Lee Shim clapped, seemingly impressed by Young-pa’s conduct.
“Earthworm, speaking of which, where did my little beauty go?”
“What are you asking? He vanished without a trace, as always.”
“Tsk, I thought I’d finally hear some sensual moans from that fellow today.”
“Well, you’ll be parting with Biryoo tomorrow. You must be quite sad, Brother.”
Lee Shim couldn’t hide a satisfied smile as he spoke. He had found Biryoo burdensome throughout the entire journey.
‘What does someone like Biryoo matter? Once things go well, I’ll find out everything.’
Young-pa thought so, yet when he considered Biryoo’s outstanding appearance, his indifferent tone, and his arrogant attitude as if the world were beneath his feet, he felt a sense of regret. He had flirted relentlessly to pry open that secretive man, but in the end, he had discovered nothing.
When he first started teasing Biryoo, it was half out of mischief. But before he knew it, Young-pa sincerely wanted to possess the man who despised him. He vaguely desired a carnal affair with a beautiful person, but at the same time, he wanted to tear down the wall Biryoo had thoroughly built and see his inner self.
He was curious about his disheveled appearance and his various expressions. He wanted to know who he was. And what story was entwined between the ring he so desperately sought and the woman he missed.
‘It’s all because that fellow acts so tantalizingly.’
If Biryoo hadn’t been so unpredictable, Young-pa’s interest might have vanished quickly. Young-pa brushed aside both his curiosity and the hollow feeling he held for the man.
“Tomorrow will be exhausting, so you sleep too, Earthworm.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even after midnight, the group staying there did not sleep, instead devoting themselves to training. Listening to the endless shouts of exertion, Young-pa wondered what they were so passionate about, and why he lacked such things, possessing nothing but an intense desire for revenge.
Then, a sense of deprivation hit him—the feeling of not knowing who he was—and he was seized by anger and murderous intent once more. He went outside, screamed, and demolished several trees.
Returning to the room and lying down again, he fell asleep as exhaustion washed over him.
≋ ≋ ≋
In the morning, they ate a handful of rice steamed by the tavern and departed. Since nazgol was surrounded by mountains, they had to cross the obstacle of Mount Seowun. Several practitioners, including Geum Dong, set out together, but because Young-pa’s party was slow due to the child, everyone else went ahead.
Young-pa’s group trudged up the steep mountain path. By the end of the descent, their food had run out, and the forced march was so grueling that even Lee Shim was exhausted. The child began to scream and throw a fit, refusing to go any further. When persuasion failed, Young-pa carried the stubborn child on his shoulders.
“Waaaaah, waaaaah! I said I hate it! I said I’m not going!”
As soon as they arrived in nazgol, Young-pa set the child on the ground, looking fed up. Whether Young-pa coaxed him gently or barked at him frighteningly, the child possessed a stubborn streak that drove him to do exactly as he pleased.
“Now, Baemttong. Don’t you want to eat something delicious? What if the mister doesn’t buy you anything because you keep crying like that?”
As Lee Shim coaxed him softly, the child abruptly stopped crying. He had a knack for bewitching children with a few words.
The child trotted over as if nothing had happened and suddenly grabbed Young-pa’s hand, as if trying to get back on his good side. Young-pa clicked his tongue at the brazen attitude but did not push the hand away.
It was evening, and the sky was just beginning to darken. After making inquiries, they found that today’s pacheondang admission exam had already ended. Young-pa had no choice but to walk toward the marketplace, where stalls lined both sides of the street.
“Handsome masters, come look at these accessories imbued with divine power!”
“Master, master! If you take the exam wearing a garment woven from phoenix feathers, strength will surge within you. Please, try it on.”
“Predicted questions for sale! I’m selling predicted questions for the pacheondang exam!”
Though nazgol was not the capital of the country, it was incredibly bustling. The streets were lined with jewelers, cloth merchants, weapon shops, and peddlers selling teas and foods said to enhance spiritual energy, yeongyak and alchemy pills, dyes for the body, and talismans to pray to the four spirits.
As Young-pa’s party walked through, the merchants rushed at them, foaming at the mouth to sell something. The child, smelling the food, began to wail in agony.
“Earthworm, the child needs to eat, so give him something.”
“Brother, I am utterly penniless; I’m in a state where I can’t even buy a single rice cake for our Baemttong.”
Lee Shim turned out his pockets and made a sorrowful face. Until now, he had habitually said this was the last of it or that he had nothing, yet he had always produced something from his robes; finally, his resources had run dry.
Despite hearing this, Young-pa led the child to a rice cake stall. The child drooled upon seeing the array of bean cakes and sliced rice cakes.
“Give me one of those.”
“Yes, milord! I’ll give it to you right away.”
When Young-pa handed the bean cake to the child, it vanished into his mouth in an instant. This time, Young-pa gave the child a mugwort rice cake. The child swallowed it whole and sucked his fingers with a look of lingering regret. The peddler watched this with a fond, generous smile.
“Your daughter is quite cute, milord.”
Without any sign of embarrassment, Young-pa asked the peddler.
“I have nothing on me. What should I do?”
“Surely you aren’t penniless?”
“Yep.”
“What?! You beggar brat!”
The merchant, who had been sweet-talking him as ‘milord’ until a moment ago, swung a rice paddle at Young-pa’s cheek. Just before the hit landed, Young-pa grabbed the merchant’s wrist.
“I only asked a question, so why are you angry? Do you think I don’t know how to get angry?”
“The nerve of you! How dare you be angry after stealing food?”
The peddler stepped out from the stall, wielding a large severed root’s member. She had been a kind woman with a smiling face while selling cakes, but stepping out of the stall revealed a remarkably sturdy physique.
The severed root’s member, imbued with killing intent, gleamed. She thrust it toward his abdomen, but Young-pa dodged it with ease.
Swish, swish—a dull sound echoed every time the severed root’s member sliced through the air. After dodging a few times, Young-pa pressed down on the merchant’s shoulder with his fingertips. With a thud, she was pinned to the ground.
“Heeeelp!”
The man who came to help his wife was the one selling ‘strength-surging straw sandals’ across the way. This man stood proudly and chanted a spell. In the next moment, Young-pa was surrounded by black smoke. After a short wait, blades flew in from nine directions.
Young-pa deflected the blades one by one and finally kicked the one rising from beneath his feet, sending it flying. The dagger pierced through the merchant’s clothing and embedded itself in the ground, pinning him in place.
“To attack so viciously just because I fed a child some rice cakes… you should be ashamed.”
Young-pa muttered toward the fallen couple.
“A great master has appeared!”
The eyes of the entire street turned toward Young-pa. Lee Shim was puffing out his chest as if he were the one who had performed the feat, and the child was in the middle of raiding the stall for any remaining rice cakes.
Amidst the commotion, there was one who had watched everything: the Bangjwa, who looked after the security of nazgol. When he appeared with his hands behind his back, the merchant couple, subdued by Young-pa, screamed at the top of their lungs.
“Milord, that thief stole food! It is only right that he be arrested immediately.”
The Bangjwa walked into the center of the commotion and looked back and forth between Young-pa and Lee Shim.
“You shall answer for your crimes!”
“You? I’m a stranger here, milord,” Lee Shim protested, but the Bangjwa ordered his subordinates to apprehend the gang of thieves. The Bangjwa and his men were all armed and wore accessories on both wrists to amplify their abilities, much like the one Biryoo wore on his neck.
Young-pa was not one to stay still. He ripped a pillar from the stall and beat the men. Three of those attempting to seize him ended up sprawled on the ground. In the meantime, Lee Shim held the child and used a disguise to vanish into the crowd.
The Bangjwa’s face turned pale with shock. Though he was a veteran in a town where all sorts of oddities with strange talents gathered, he had never encountered someone this strong.
“Stop!”
Someone intervened in the middle of the fight. It was a man in black practitioner’s robes with a shaved head. The Bangjwa bowed subserviently with a troubled expression.
“What brings you from pacheondang at such a late hour…?”
“Elder Bangjwa, who is this person?”
“A shameless rogue who committed robbery against a peddler. It is not something you need to concern yourself with.”
The bald man secretly produced a piece of gold from his robes and held it out; the Bangjwa quickly snatched it. Immediately, the Bangjwa dismissed his subordinates as if nothing had happened. The peddler whose stall Young-pa and the child had raided also became cheerful upon receiving gold.
After confirming they were leaving, the bald man gave Young-pa a deep bow.
“People failed to recognize your nobility and committed a discourtesy. I apologize on their behalf. I am the Director of Training at pacheondang. May I ask your name?”
“Young-pa.”
“I see. At pacheondang, we have long respected and looked up to those with exceptional talents. If you permit, I would like to invite you and your party to our estate. What do you say?”
Young-pa looked around at his party. Lee Shim, who had returned at some point, was nodding frantically, and the sound of the child’s stomach growling was shaking the heavens and earth.
“Fine.”
“Please follow me.”
The Director of Training turned and walked briskly. While following him, Young-pa looked back. He suspected that Biryoo was watching from somewhere.
Sure enough, beneath a zelkova tree at the edge of the village, a figure wearing a bamboo hat was leaning obliquely. Young-pa smiled and continued walking forward.
≋ ≋ ≋
As befitting the residence of a renowned wealthy man in the region, the pacheondang estate was magnificent. It was not just a single house, but encompassed the entire space within wide walls. Inside were green forests, gardens, a lake, and dozens of buildings and courtyards, making its scale rival that of a palace.
And the pavilions—the imposing pillars, the beautifully colored rafters, and the glazed tiles layered on the roofs. The atmosphere of the courtyard, where fruit trees draped their branches, was serene, and the attire of the servants passing by was clean.
“The training area is restricted to the eastern sector. To the west are the inner quarters where the clan head and his family reside.”